Sweet Temptation by Wendy Higgins Release Week Blitz

I am so excited that SWEET TEMPTATION by Wendy Higgins releases today and that I get to share the news, along with an awesome giveaway!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful series by Wendy Higgins, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a a paperback of the book with a signed bookplate and bookmarks! US only. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About The Book:

Title: SWEET TEMPTATION

Author: Wendy Higgins

Pub. Date: September 8, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 485

Format: Paperback, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it.

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve.

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.

Author Note:

Sweet Temptation will encompass the entire trilogy in a condensed version, beginning with Kai's life before he met Anna, and taking readers through the epilogue of Sweet Reckoning. Sweet Temptation is a companion novel, not meant to be a stand alone story. It will definitely be a richer experience for those who have read the original trilogy.

Go HERE to read an excerpt fro SWEET TEMPTATION!

Also check out Wendy's PINTEREST board for KAI!

About Wendy Higgins:

Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NYT bestselling author of the Sweet Evil series from HarperTeen and her independently published Irish fantasy, See Me. She is a former high school English teacher who now writes full time, and lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her veterinarian husband, daughter, son, and doggie Rue. 

Wendy earned a bachelor's in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a master's in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford. Writing Young Adult (YA) stories gives her the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal, daunting, and exciting years before adulthood.

Connect with the author:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | INSTAGRAM

Giveaway Details:

1 Paperback of SWEET TEMPTATION and a signed bookplate and bookmarks. US Only.

Ends on September 18th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel Blog Tour (Review + Giveaway)

Hello readers and Happy June! Ethan here welcoming you to my stop on the blog tour for Anne Heltzel's Charlie, Presumed Dead, hosted by the incredible team at RockStar Book Tours! Today's post will feature my thoughts on the novel as well as a great giveaway from our author. Before we get to my thoughts, here's a bit about the novel and our author:

Title: CHARLIE, PRESUMED DEAD
Author: Anne Heltzel
Pub. Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 272
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

In Paris, family and friends gather to mourn the tragic passing of Charlie Price—young, handsome, charming, a world-traveler—who is presumed dead after an explosion. Authorities find only a bloodied jacket, ID’d as Charlie’s. At the funeral, two teens who are perfect strangers, Lena Whitney and Aubrey Boroughs, make another shocking discovery: they have both been dating Charlie, both think Charlie loved them and them alone, and there is a lot they didn’t know about their boyfriend. Over the next week, a mind-bending trip unfolds: first in London—then in Mumbai, Kerala, and Bangkok, the girls go in search of Charlie. Is he still alive? What did their love for him even mean? The truth is out there, but soon it becomes clear that the girls are harboring secrets of their own.


No one knows whom to trust in this thrilling tale of suspense and deception.

ANNE HELTZEL is a Brooklyn-based author and editor of children's books. Anne was born in Ohio, has been a voracious reader since
the age of three, and credits her careers in publishing and writing (both lifelong dreams--just ask to see her childhood journal) to a serendipitous coffee shop conversation during her senior year of college. Anne was on a law school track until the aforementioned fateful conversation prompted her to switch gears and move to New York City, where she entered an M.F.A. program. In 2007 she began her first job in publishing. In 2008 she graduated from The New School with a master's degree in Writing for Children. Anne has since lived in India and Paris, and has taught writing and reading workshops in each of her former homes. More recently, she participated as a mentor in NYC's Girls Write Now program. When she is not writing, Anne is furiously (and passionately) editing novels for a Manhattan publishing house. She is represented by Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management. Anne also writes under the pseudonym Anna Collomore.

Author Photo by Kristi Hedberg Photography

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr| Instagram | Goodreads

*****

My Thoughts:

Last month, I was in a big reading slump and was looking for something different to help pull me out of it. I got the email about signing up for the blog tour to promote Charlie, Presumed Dead and was really pulled in by the synopsis. It's not my general read, by any means, but I was curious. After devouring the novel I can definitely say at least one thing about it: boy, it certainly is unique. 

I've never in my life read a novel quite like Charlie, Presumed Dead. I won't say much about the plot because it's 242 pages full of spoilers, but this story was nothing like I envisioned. Constant plot twists kept me on my toes the entire time. You can't sit this one down for a second, folks, or you'll miss out! 

I will say a bit about the characters, as they were my biggest faults in the novel. This is just for me personally and it really didn't affect my overall thoughts, but I didn't care for either of the two main characters. It's odd in a story when I don't relate to the characters even a little bit, I can't say to me that this has happened recently. Both Aubrey and Lena are beautifully written, extremely complex characters, but they just weren't the female MCs that I am used to seeing. They are dramatic, self-centered, and really just not girls I would ever associate myself with. I personally don't see what Charlie saw in either one of them. Aubrey is a 'good girl' with a huge secret and Lena was so over the top and annoying I could have strangled her. I have to hand it to Hetzel, she got a lot of emotion out of me with this read.

When it came to the settings, I was very impressed. Having been born in America and never having done any traveling abroad (aside for a cruise to Mexico), I was really captivated by the exotic landscapes. From the pristine halls of Paris, to the slums of Bombay, Charlie, Presumed Dead takes the reader on a suspense filled journey across the globe! Each setting was written in just enough detail to set the tone, without bogging it down. This all added to the novels very fast pace which definitely keep me reeling from page to page.

There is a lot happening very quickly in this novel so let me say again, you've got to keep up. Characters pop in and out, the settings change from page to page, and the POV flips with each passing chapter. It's a bit like an amusement park ride where you never know which way is up, but you have a great time riding it out! 

The entire story is a great testament to the writing style of Hetzel. It's extremely unique with complex characters and a plot line that had my jaw on the floor on multiple occasions. It should be noted that this is definitely not the genre I typically read in so I was really shocked by how much I ended up liking it. It was seriously a great read. Warning, this one has a cliffhanger like none other! 

I would like to say a few things about the genre classification for this novel. From my understanding, this is a YA novel, but it definitely had a much more mature feel to it, placing is solely in the NA category for me. There is some rough language, sex, and some mature themes such as suicide, drug use, etc that really made me think NA much more than YA. Nothing wrong with any of that, just a heads up for those who are considering checking out this read.

I have a lot of questions about where this series is going so I'm more than a little anxious to see what happened in the next installment of this series. Hetzel has a great thing going and I can't wait for more! 

All-in-all I am granting Charlie, Presumed Dead a well-deserved 4-star review. It was mind boggling at times and left me more confused in the end than I was at first, but I sure cannot doubt Hetzel's beautiful writing voice and unique plot. I cannot wait to see more from this author!

*****

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Well readers, that's all I have for you on the topic of Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Hetzel. It wasn't my all time favorite read, but I think it has great potential for some f you guys to fall in love with it! Also, it says it doesn't release until tomorrow, but it was in my local B&N yesterday! Go get yourselves a copy! Make sure to enter the giveaway before you leave. Huge shout out to the author and to the team at RockStar Book Tours for allowing me to participate. Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan

Vision by Lisa Amowitz Blog Tour Exclusive Excerpt

Hey readers! Welcome to my blog tour stop for Vision by Lisa Amowitz! Here on my stop we are hosting an exclusive excerpt! Before we get to the fun, check out for info about Vision and our author, Lisa Amowitz: 

About the Book

Title: VISION

Author: Lisa Amowitz

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Pub. Date: September 9, 2014

 

The light is darker than you think…

High school student Bobby Pendell already has his hands full—he works almost every night to support his disabled-vet father and gifted little brother. Then he meets the beautiful new girl in town, who just happens to be his boss’s daughter. Bobby has rules about that kind of thing. Nothing matters more than keeping his job.

When Bobby starts to get blinding migraines that come with scary, violent hallucinations, his livelihood is on the line. Soon, he must face the stunning possibility that the visions of murder are actually real. With his world going dark, Bobby is set on the trail of the serial killer terrorizing his small town. With everyone else convinced he’s the prime suspect, Bobby realizes that he, or the girl he loves, might be killer's next victim.

Lisa Amowitz

Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot.

Lisa has been a professor of graphic design at Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly eighteen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.

BREAKING GLASS which was released July 9, 2013 from Spencer Hill Press, is her first published work. VISION, the first of the Finder series will be released in 2014 along with an unnamed sequel in the following year. LIFE AND BETH will also be released in the near future. So stay tuned because Lisa is very hyper and has to create stuff to stay alive.

To contact Lisa try:  
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  | Pinterest | Goodreads

Vision Excerpt

The first thing Bobby felt was the wet tip of Pete’s nose nuzzling his face. He reached for the furry head but was unable to make out more than a vague, dog-shaped outline against a bright red background. The pain was gone, but his eyes still weren’t working right.

Bobby pushed himself up to a sitting position. Cold drops splattered on his head and plunked on the wood of the dock. 

Had he moored the boat? Rain would rust out the motor. He didn’t even remember climbing out.

Feeling along the side of the dock where the boat should have been, Bobby’s searching hands found nothing but the cold shock of water and a swarm of fish mouths nibbling at his fingers.

Damn. He hadn’t secured the boat and now it was adrift somewhere in the lake. He could take someone’s rowboat out to get it. There were oars in the old metal shed where weekenders kept their kayaks and life jackets. 

But everything still looked like someone had splattered thick red paint across a windshield. He’d be lucky if he could find his way back to the truck. Even when he did, how was he supposed to drive it?

Bobby got unsteadily to his feet, the red-washed world swaying around him. He lurched after the patter of Pete’s paws across the dock, tripping from the wood onto damp sand, his bearings lost. The rain came down harder as he crunched across the beach, following Pete’s happy bark.

Once he finally made it to the truck, he buried his nose in Pete’s scruffy head, the smell of wet fur soothing his frayed nerves. 

“You saved my ass, boy. Two treats for you.” 

Light streaks had begun to pierce through the red haze, but there was still no way he could drive. Clambering inside the truck, Bobby located the dog treats in the glove compartment. He gave two of them to Pete, sat back, and listened to the contented chomp of the dog’s teeth as they gnashed the treats to bits. 

He considered calling his best friend, Coco, on the pre-paid phone he kept in the glove compartment. But he couldn’t see the numbers to dial. And what would he tell him? He was seeing things and going blind? Coco would just think he was nuts. He’d just wait it out. The spell would pass.

He couldn’t let himself think about the skiff floating aimlessly to the other side of the lake—or how he would never scrape together enough money to replace the motor. Or how even a mechanical genius like Coco couldn’t bring a rusted-out hulk of metal back to life. Or that they’d never eat fish again.

But it was safer to focus on that instead of on what was wrong with his eyes and what would happen if they never worked right again.

 Where can you get yours?

GIVEAWAY

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Alrighty readers, that's all I have for you on the topic of Vision by Lisa Amowitz! If you like what you've read in the excerpt above, I encourage you to rush over and grab yourself a copy! I know this is one read I cannot wait to finish devouring! Be on the look out for my full review ASAP! Special thanks to Jaime from Rock Star Book Tours for allowing me to participate! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan